If It's Gonna Rain
by HidekoChan90
Summary: Seaquel to "Anything but Mine". Brock joins Ash on his return trip home. When Misty and Brock meet up again, how will she tell him that their steamy love affair resulted in a baby? Gymshipping. Rated for Language and lemon/lime content.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Misty Waterflower sat in the just vacuumed living room of Delia Ketchum's small, quaint house, nestled in a quiet neighborhood of Pallet Town. She clutched onto the small, egg-like Pokemon in her arms.

Togepi peered at her, sensing it's owners uneasiness but of course not understanding why. It was early afternoon, just after twelve PM and Delia was cooking lunch. Misty sat awkwardly alone in the living room after being declined of her offer to help Mrs. Ketchum out with the lunch she was preparing.

It was Christmas time, normally Misty's favourite time of year but she had other things on her mind to think about.

The redhead crossed her legs and soothed Togepi into it's routine afternoon nap. She absently rubbed her hand across her stomach and her mind began to drift back to that night after the Jhoto League.

Delia poked her head around the corner into the living room. "Misty, sweety, lunch is almost ready. Have you been able to get a hold of Ash on his cell phone?"

"No." She replied, rather sadly.

"Oh, that Ash, he probably has it turned off. Could you try him one more time?" She asked in her normally sweet tone.

"Uh, sure, Mrs. Ketchum…" Misty picked up her own cell phone out of the small pocket of her yellow sundress. She quickly dialed Ash's number and after three rings, it finally picked up. Misty almost dropped the phone when she heard the voice that answered.

"Hello?"

"Uhm…Brock?"

"Hey! Misty!" He said, sounding rather cheerful. A complete three-sixty from his rather irritated 'hello'.

She tried to steady her voice and calm her beating heart down. She hadn't spoken to Brock since the day she left for Cerulean City a whole three months ago. "W-what took you so long to answer?"

Brock leaned back in the driver's seat of the car as he drove down the familiar streets of Pewter City. "Sorry, our phones lost signal on Mount Moon. You at Mrs. Ketchum's house yet?"

"Uh…yes…I've been here, actually."

Brock raised an eyebrow, sensing the apprehension in her voice. He momentarily took his eyes off the road to glance to his side where May leaned up against the window, snoring into her pillow and then into the back where Ash was laying down in the back seat, snoring just as loudly with Max in the floorboard.

There was a small pause. "Everything OK?"

"Yes, Brock." She answered rather quickly as Delia sat down a tea set in front of her. "Everything's alright."

"How long have you been there?" He asked, seeing the sign for the Viridian Forest exit. He couldn't quite hold the phone steady, his nerves were jumping the closer he got to Pallet Town. He knew what would pass between them when they saw each other. The heated looks, the passionate stares. It was going to take everything in him just to act normal around her after what happened between them.

"Brock, it's not important. Really…"

"Well, who covered for you at the gym?"

Sighing, Misty picked up a small cup of tea to relieve her dry throat. "Daisy ended up getting Mono and they all had to come home. So, Lilly and Violet are running it." She said, really wishing he'd stop prying. "Besides, I haven't been gone _that_ long."

She heard him sigh. "Well, as long as your OK. I'll see you when I get there. I'm driving through Viridian Forest right now."

"Alright, Brock….bye."

"Misty, wait…I-I miss you."

Delia looked up at Misty with concern as her blue eyes started to water. The young redhead had confided in Delia about everything. About Brock, about her feelings, even about the one thing she wasn't sure he wanted Brock to know.

The older woman placed a soft hand on Misty's shoulder for comfort. "I miss you too, Brock."

His strong, rough voice came over the speaker again after he cleared his throat, sounding much louder and less intimate then it had before.

"Bye Misty."

"Bye Brock." She hung up and laid the phone on the table. "They're in Viridian Forest."

"Is everything OK between you and him?" She asked. "I know how tough this can be…I was there once, sweety."

Misty stared back out the window, knowing that within the next twenty minutes she would see the familiar, dirty, dark blue pick up truck that belonged to Brock Harrison would pull up right in front of it.

"Yes, everything's fine between us." She promised Ash's mother. The older woman stood up, reassured that the younger woman was indeed feeling alright, and headed back into the kitchen.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Misty asked, pulling a small blanket tighter over Togepi. The winter was proving to be brutal, despite that Delia had the heater on.

"I'm sure." She said from in the kitchen. "You don't move a muscle. You just sit right there and relax. You and Brock are just the same. Always wanting to help out in the kitchen…" She said with a laugh.

Misty couldn't help but smile at that comment. She remembered how much she enjoyed watching Brock and Mr. Mime fight over the household chores. No matter what, Brock could always make her laugh and maybe that was part of the reason she fell for him.

She wasn't sure when her crush on Brock became apparent to her, but it probably didn't happen until after he had come back from Professor Ivy's lab on Valencia Island. An overwhelming jealousy struck her when she saw him flirting with another women, so that's why she decided to pull him away by his ear.

She only did that because she was afraid he would actually leave her again like he did that morning. Misty couldn't bare the thought of losing Brock again like that. Especially to another woman besides herself…

And now…

Brushing her hand across her stomach once again she glanced over at her sleeping Togepi. The room's silence was quickly shattered by a loud knock on the front door.

"Oh, that must be them!" Delia exclaimed. "Misty, dear, could you get the door for me?"

"Sure." Misty replied, standing up from her seated position and approached the door. The walk to the front door seemed to take forever. Her legs felt as if they were made of water, her throat felt like it was made of dry, hot, sand and the only thing she could hear was blood pumping through her brain and her own heartbeat.

The doorknob felt cold and hard underneath her palm as she steadied herself. On the count of three, she opened the door to see the four of them standing there. Max was the first to speak.

"Oh, cool, a Togepi!" He exclaimed, receiving a rather annoyed glance from his older sister May.

"Hey, Misty…" Ash said with a smile as he entered his own home. May simple waved shyly and Misty returned it. Max had already made his way into the house to examine the sleeping Togepi more closely and then stood Brock, his arms weighed down by all their luggage.

Despite that her brain had practically turned to mush and her bones to liquid at the sight of him, she offered to help with the bags, alleviating atleast some of the weight off his shoulders.

Brock let out a sigh of relief as he discarded the rest of the bags by the wall. Then he looked up at the pretty young woman who had waited for him to put his bags down. He gave her a lopsided grin and opened his arms wide.

"You know you have to give me a hug right?"

Misty smiled as he pulled her into an embrace. She buried her face into his chest, reveling in the fact she was in his arms once again, being held close to that comforting body that was so warm against her skin. That familiar smell of cologne and detergent she always associated with Brock filling her nostrils once again.

It was enough to make her cry.

She looked up at Brock with both eyes full of tears. "I missed you."

Brock looked away from her for only a second, his eyes scanning the living room and making sure no one was watching. He didn't want things to be weird for Misty, especially with Christmas only a few days away.

"I missed you, too." He told her sincerely, looking deep into her cerulean eyes. His presence was making her heart do weird things. "C'mon…we…we better go in there with the rest."

"Oh, right…" She said after a moment. She had actually gotten lost in his gaze. His deep, dark eyes; Mysterious and beautiful all at the same time. Everything about him still seemed so unapproachable, even after they had made love. He seemed so far out of her reach and she wondered if she'd ever feel the way she did that night again.

Ash's voice was the first to become clear to them as they entered the living room from the foyer. "Brock! May's picking on me!"

"I am not!" May protested. "I just can't stand to hear you brag!"

"I'm just showing off all my awesome trophies!"

"Exactly!"

Brock sighed. "Alright, you two, cut it out. That's all you two did on the way here until you finally fell asleep in the car. I regret even waking you two up."

"He started it!" May pointed towards Ash at her defense and he furrowed his brow.

"Your just jealous!" Ash snapped back at her and Brock was becoming irritated. Why did he come back from Pewter City to travel with them around Hoenn?

"Cut it out! I mean it." Brock demanded rather firmly.

Both Ash and May let out a small squeak of surprise and then quickly obeyed. "Y-yes, sir." They both said in unison and Delia let out a small giggle.

"I'm glad to see someone's keeping my little Ashy in line while I'm not around." She said, holding a trey of sandwiches. "Brock, you are making sure Ash changes his underwear everyday now aren't you?"

Brock let out a small laugh. "As always, Mrs. Ketchum."

"Good." The brown-headed older woman said.

Ash grabbed a sandwich and sat beside the large Christmas tree in the living room and started to rummage through his gifts. "Wow, mom, are these all for me?"

"Most of them, sweety, but some are for your friends. Don't you dare open any yet, Ash." She warned. "Or Santa Clause won't come on Christmas morning and bring you any more gifts."

"Oh, c'mon mom, you know I don't believe in Santa anymore…" He said, standing up. "I'm a grown man now. Isn't that right, Brocko?"

The spiky-haired gym leader just peered back at Ash and chuckled. "If that's what you think."

Delia simply giggled. "I made some lemonade. Brock would you mind helping me make the drinks for the kids?"

"Not at all, Mrs. Ketchum." He stood up, giving Misty a light tap on the knee, silently assuring her he'd be back. She watched him disappear around the corner, listening faintly to the voices from the kitchen. His voice was a deep muffle, while Delia's was a light, cheerful tone.

Ash took a red Solo cup from his mom, without so much as a thank you and continued to search through his gifts once again, shaking a box every so often and trying to guess it's contents.

May took a cup from Brock and thanked him, and Max did the same to Delia. Misty sat on the couch, staring down at her feet until she felt someone loom above her. She looked up to see Brock, offering her a cup of lemonade.

She smiled up at him and took the plastic cup gratefully. "Thank you, Brock."

He smiled at her and took his seat beside her, leaning back and casually putting his arm around the back of the sofa. She couldn't help but feel awkward about it, yet comforted. It had been so long since she was this close to Brock.

Ash finally stood up from his position at the tree and stretched his legs. "Where's the bathroom at again, Mom? I really have to go number one."

Delia took a sip of her drink and sighed. "Ash, I can't believe you've forgotten already. It's at the top of the stairs to your right."

"Oh, that's right." He said, heading towards the staircase that led to his old room.

"That boy is so scatterbrained sometimes." She said, smiling at Misty as she saw that Brock had chosen to sit next to her. "So, Brock, how have you been?"

"I've been doing alright." He said, relaxing against the back of the couch. "I just went back and visited my family last month."

"Oh, in Pewter City?" Delia asked. "Your mother wrote me a letter a couple months ago. We've joined a book club in Viridian City. She's really a very nice woman."

"Uhm, mom?" A familiar, raspy voice sounded from up above them. Ash Ketchum was leaned over the rail, his eyes big with excitement.

"Yes, honey?" She asked, without looking up.

"What's this? I found it in the trashcan…" He held up a small, plastic stick between his pointer finger and thumb. "It has a plus sign on it…is it a calculator?"

Delia jumped up from her seat and rushed up the stairs. "Ash Ketchum, you give me that right now!" Her tone was more frantic than angry and Brock couldn't help but notice the look of concern Ash's mother shot down at Misty from the top of the stairs, or the deep, red blush that now crawled it's way across her cheeks.

Ash held it over the balcony trying his best to keep it out of his mother's reach. "Brock, what is this?"

Brock covered the grin that played at his lips. "Ash, that's an EPT."

"An EP…what?"

Delia grabbed it from his hands and quickly ran into the bathroom to toss it back into the trash.

"Ash, it's just a pregnancy test…" Max blurted out, innocently taking another sip of his lemonade. "This is really good, Mrs. Ketchum."

Misty buried her face in her hands and Ash's eyes grew wider. "Mom? Your…your pregnant?"

"Ash, can we not discuss this please?" She asked, hurrying down the stairs. Misty's face was almost as red as her hair and Brock was clueless as to why she was so embarrassed, but he rubbed his hand up and down her back anyway.

Ash followed his mother and remained on his feet as the older woman sat down. "Mom, your way to old be having children."

"Ash Ketchum, I am not old!"

"Mom, I'm 15! Your old!"

Delia scowled at him. "Sit down, Ash."

Obeying his mother, he sat down on the couch, but didn't stop with the interrogation. "Mom, how could you get pregnant? The only man you ever go around is Professor Oak and he's…." Ash slapped a gloved hand over his mouth. "You and…Professor Oak?"

"No, Ash!" Delia said, finally becoming fed up with her son. "It's not--"

"Ash!" Misty blurted out, looking as if she was ready to burst out into tears. "The test is mine!"

Ash's mouth fell open and the whole room fell silent. Brock's heart thumped in his chest and his mouth suddenly went dry. Misty's pregnant?

Delia folded her hands in her lap. "Mr. Mime, I thought I told you to take that trash out a week ago."

"Mr…Mr. Mime…." It said, a frown coming to it's clown face.

"Misty, I'm really sorry…" Delia apologized but Misty simply shook her head.

"No, everyone needed to know." Her blue-green eyes fell on Brock only for an instant. "I'm pregnant."

Brock tried to swallow, but his throat was just too dry. He finally found his voice and the words came out in a rush, sounding more concerned then he intended.

"Misty, how long have you known?"

"Only a couple weeks…" She said, her knees shaking under his intense stare. "Uhm, Mrs. Ketchum, do you mind if I go upstairs and use your shower?"

"Not at all, dear." She said.

Misty graciously hurried up the stairs and Brock let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding until now.

"Wow, Misty pregnant…" Ash absently picked up one of his presents and examined it more closely. "Who would have thought?" He was silent for a moment, as May awkwardly swirled the lemonade in her cup. Then it finally hit Ash.

"Hey, don't you have to be with a man before you can get pregnant?" He asked, innocently.

May sighed and picked up the sleeping Togepi that was frantically looking around for Misty. "Yes, Ash, you do."

"Well, who the hell could she have been with?" Ash asked curiously, to no one in particular.

Brock stood up, excusing himself from the room. "I don't think we should be discussing Misty's love life." He said. "I'm going up to try and talk to her and make sure she's alright."

Delia simply smiled at him and watched him ascend the stairs to the upstairs bedrooms.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_Misty heard a knock on the door above the pitter patter of the water. "W-Who is it?"_

"_It's me…" Brock said, leaning against the door. "I want to make sure your OK."_

_She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her waist, brushing out her long read hair in the mirror until it was partially dry before she unlocked the door and allowed him into the berry-scented steamy room. _

"_I'm fine, Brock." She said, watching him in the mirror behind her, his vest nowhere to be seen and his tight shirt did little to hide the wonderfully toned body she remembered so well. _

_He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes scanned the silhouette of her body. "Misty, is it mine?"_

_Misty turned around, her damp hair clinging the side of her neck and her pale skin still wet from the shower. She clutched to towel to her chest as she felt the intense stare from the man standing before her. _

"_Brock, how can you even ask that? Of course it's yours…" She said, stepping closer to him. "I haven't been with anybody else but you…since that night."_

_He backed up against the wall, gripping helplessly at the tiles and busying his hands to try and dissuade himself from reaching out and touching her because he knew if he did he wouldn't be able to stop. _

"_I'm sorry, Misty." He apologized for any implications she thought he may have had. "I just wanted to be one hundred percent positive."_

_Misty looked down at her bare feet and stubby, painted toenails. "Brock, I didn't want you to know about this."_

_He raised an eyebrow and looked at the towel-clad redhead in front of him. "Why?"_

"_Because…" She said, tears filling her blue eyes as she spoke. "You're a good guy and I know what your going to do now. Your going to put all your dreams and goals on hold because of me."_

"_Hey, hey," He said, forcing her gaze up to meet his. "look at me. Misty, you and this baby are my only concerns right now."_

"_See, that's what I mean!" She exclaimed. "I've ruined your life."_

"_No, you haven't." He said, sighing. "Misty, please, don't cry."_

_She scowled up at him, her body writhing and shaking pure fury. "How can you tell me to stop crying, Brock? You don't know how scared I've been!"_

_The muscle in his jaw tightened. "Well, you don't have to be scared anymore, Misty. I'm here now and I'm going to take care of you." He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was going to be a father. Not only would he have to take care of the baby, but he'd have to take care of Misty, too._

"_You_ are the whole reason I'm pregnant!" She snapped.

"Hey, it's partially your fault, too. It takes two to make a baby." He said. "Don't blame this all on me."

Misty's face coloured. Her neck grew hot with embarrassment. She knew he was right. He always was. Anything that ever came out of that mouth of his was always correct.

Brock rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Misty, you shouldn't get upset right now. Not in your condition. Your three months pregnant and you just finished your first trimester. You need to take it easy."

"Don't start talking medical to me, Brock." Misty groaned. "I already got enough of that from my doctor."

He raked a hand through his spiky, dark hair in frustration. "Well, how's the morning sickness?"

Misty folded her arms across her chest, almost as if she was shutting herself off from him. "Better than it was."

"Good." He said. "Misty, you should have told me earlier. I would have came to Cerulean and stayed with you."

"Well, I didn't even know I was pregnant until two weeks ago. I just became a little suspicious because I wasn't having my period and I was sick all the time. I didn't want to tell my sister's about it, so I left and came to stay with Delia about three weeks ago."

"Still, you should have told me two weeks ago, then. Why didn't you?" He stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Because I didn't want you to drop everything and leave Ash out there all alone just to come back to Cerulean and take care of me." She said.

Brock sighed and chuckled a bit. "Misty, right now, you need me a whole lot more than Ash does. Rather you like it or not, I'm going to take care of you. Don't you play this tough girl act with me." His lips pulled into a smile.

She resisted the urge to smile. "Do you mind taking your hands off me?" Her lowered eyes raising to meet his gaze.

The hand that captured her attention still lay along her jaw line; his fingertips burrowed in her hair. His head bent close enough to her so that she could examine the texture of his perfectly bronzed skin and smell the masculine fragrance that drifted from him.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Brock finally answered her question after a long moment. His mouth captured hers in a heated kiss, his hands tugging at the towel she concealed herself with. Her hand reached for the doorknob, pushing it open and tumbling backwards onto the bed that awaited just outside the door.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, the damp towel fell heavily to the floor. Misty dizzily absorbed the heat and smell of him, the vibrant male earthiness that emitted from him. His groans against her mouth caused an exhilarating stir of erotic excitement throughout her body.

She wanted to be taken by _him_ again. She wanted to feel him inside her, completing her once again just like the night she had gotten pregnant. He separated himself from her only for a moment to peel off the tight green shirt he had on, which was partially damp from her own body.

Misty wanted to touch any part of him, feel the excellence of taut and terrific flesh and muscle. From his perfectly toned shoulders to his hard, powerful chest, down to his wonderfully sculpted stomach he was enough to make any woman fantasize. However, she contented herself with raking her hands through his springy, dark hair as he kissed her.

His kisses were so perfect. It wasn't a hard mashing of his mouth against hers. It wasn't sloppy. It was an exhilarating feast, his mouth shaping her lips to be tantalized by little nips of his teeth and tingling caresses of his tongue, then driving to an intimate invasion of her palate, electrifying every nerve-end.

At this moment, she was happy all those women rejected him. They were missing out on how much of a wonderful lover he could be.

He lifted up to look at her, the small window above the large bed was their only source of light, but it was enough to give him the satisfaction of looking at her.

Breathlessly, he stared down at her and her eyes scanned over his body, his long torso ending at the top of his unbuttoned jeans.

"You truly are…all woman," Brock said in a kind of awe that made Misty feel special.

Tough he was even more so. Everything she'd remember him being; Complete and utter male power, sleek and strong and so sure in his aggression, wanting her and reveling in her femininity.

He leaned over her again, her long, smooth legs hung over the side of the bed at her knees, her toes touching the soft carpet every so often and her hands caressing the powerful, denim-sheathed excitement that was prodding at her bare thighs.

Seeing him ready for her like this instantly chased away in hesitation she had with the mind-blowing urge to have him inside her, all of him, now, fast, hard, full-on and pounding as wildly as her heart.

Then, a sharp knock came to the door and within seconds, they had jumped apart.

"Shit!" Brock cursed in an agitated whisper and Misty curled up defensively, concealing herself with her legs and arms. They still had to keep this all a secret, atleast for Misty's sake. As far as he was concerned, he was positive she wasn't ready to tell her friends that she had slept with him of all people.

"What do we do?" Misty asked in a hushed whisper.

Brock looked around the room and gathered his shirt quickly off the floor. "You go in the bathroom, lock the door and get dressed."

Misty quickly reached down to grab the wet towel off the floor before she dove back into the bathroom. She listened as she tried to calm her wildly racing heart.

There was another sharp knock and Brock growled in frustration. "I'm coming, hold on a minute."

He tugged his shirt over his head and buttoned his jeans.

"It's me, Ash." Sounded the familiar voice of their fifteen year old companion. "Is everything alright in there?"

Brock quickly opened the door, trying to hide his sexual frustration. "Everything's fine, Ash. What do you want?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe, hoping Misty would stay locked away in the bathroom as though nothing had happened.

The dark-headed boy looked innocently oblivious. "Well, mom was just hoping Misty was alright, she's been up here for almost an hour." He stated obviously. "Hey, Brock did you know your shirt's on backwards?"

He looked down to see the tag on the side of shirt exposed. "Oh, wow…I've…been…walking around like that all day. Hey listen, uhm go downstairs and tell your mom we'll be down there in a second, alright?"

"Uhm, alright." Ash agreed, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. "Is Misty alright?"

"She's fine." Brock promised, pulling off his T-shirt to put it on the correct way. "She's just getting dressed in the bathroom. She wanted to take a long bath while I stood out here and talked to her."

It was a lame cover story, but he knew Ash would buy it.

"Oh, alright." He said, turning away and heading down the hall. Brock shut the door behind him with a click and Misty figured it was safe to come out.

Her hair had completely dried and fell beautiful and full around her shoulders. She was dressed now, her face still red from what had happened between them only moments before.

"We better go back down there…"

"Are you sure?" Brock asked, pushing a lock of shiny red hair behind her ear. "I don't want you to feel awkward."

She shook her head and kissed his cheek. "I'm fine, really." She walked past him, but he pulled on her wrist.

"Wait. We can't just wait forever and not tell anyone about…us…" He said, contemplating on whether he should have used those words.

"Brock, there is no 'us'." Misty told him.

His jaw tightened and his heart plummeted. He had been rejected before, but never like this. "Then what the hell were we doing? Why were you letting me do that to you if you don't want me?"

"I don't know, Brock!" Misty raised her voice. "You were the one who came on to me!"

"Well, can you blame me?" He asked, tightening his grip on her wrist. "Look at you. You're gorgeous! I can barely keep my hands off you!"

She looked up at him, an indignant look filled her eyes. "You didn't seem to pay me much attention for the last _five _years! You just completely ignored me!"

Brock sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, that's until I…" He trailed off, not sure of what to say.

"Until what, Brock? Until you slept with me because Willamina walked out on you?" She fumed at the thought being used. She tried to pull herself free but his grasp on her arm was too strong.

"No, Misty, I was just stupid back then! I was so busy looking at other women that I didn't see what was right in front of me all along! I'm a moron, OK?" He watched the look of dissatisfaction on her face. "And I didn't sleep with you because of Willamina, it didn't have anything to do with that."

She shook her head and Brock still felt clueless. He still didn't know what the hell she wanted from him. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" He asked.

"Just…never mind." Misty pushed past him and quickly made her way downstairs without another word.

********************************************************************************

It was Christmas eve morning when Misty woke up. She stretched her body outwards, feeling a slight wave of nausea wash over her, another reminder that she was pregnant. The bed that she slept in was also a reminder that she was pregnant with _Brock's_ baby on top of that.

She moved her hands over her still flat belly. Never in a million years would she have thought this would happen. She had planned on being a mother some day, but never to Brock Harrison's child.

Togepi was still silently sleeping beside her and she lay on her side, wondering how long she was going to be able to lay like this before she got too big. Misty wondered how much her body would change, how uncomfortable she would be. She had heard labor pains were excruciating and she had Brock to think for that.

However, she couldn't hate him. He wasn't running away from her like she thought he would. He was taking responsibility just as he should. Maybe she shouldn't have been so hard on him.

She hadn't seen him since their fight and hadn't had the chance to apologize. Turning to look at the bedside clock, she knew that he was usually awake by 9 A.M.

Tiredly, she exited the room, careful not to wake Togepi. The tiny egg Pokemon tended to be cranky when woken up so Misty had learned to let it just wake up on it's own time. She wondered if a baby would do the same.

The familiar smell of waffles and pancakes filled the upstairs hallway and she slowly descended the stairs. No one had seen or heard from her since yesterday afternoon and she knew they had questions about her pregnancy.

The biggest one being: Who's the father?

Only three people in this house knew and that was herself, Brock and Mrs. Ketchum.

Delia smiled when she saw the sleepy redhead enter the room. "Good morning, dear. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Alright, I guess." Misty replied, wiping her sleepy eyes and taking in the familiar scene of Brock standing at the stove in his pink apron. God, she had missed that.

Brock turned around and smiled at her, despite their little squabble the day before. "Good morning, sleepyhead. You hungry?"

"Not really." She replied, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Too bad." He said with a grin, handing her a large plate of pancakes, stacked high and tall glass of orange juice.

Ash scowled when he saw the portion Misty had gotten compared to his own. "Hey, how come she gets more food than I do?"

"Because," Brock said, stirring up more pancake batter. "she's eating for two and she needs all the food she can get."

"That's unfair!" He crossed his arms and scowled at the redhead who simply rolled her eyes and smiled. She took a small bite of the strawberry pancakes and remembered just how wonderful Brock's cooking was.

"These are delicious." She said, with a smile. Brock turned and looked at her and they shared a look, a look that only Delia seemed to pick up on.

She stood up with her own food and drink and looked at the kids at the table. "Guys, I just had a great idea. Why don't we go into the living room and eat our breakfast?"

Ash scoffed. "Oh, c'mon, Mom. I want to sit at the table with the adults."

His mother simply rolled her eyes. "I'll let you watch cartoons…"

With that, Ash was the first out of the kitchen followed by Max and then May slowly made her way out followed by Delia herself, finally leaving Brock and Misty alone in the kitchen.

Brock finally sat down at the table himself, disappointed to see that Misty had barely touched her food. "You've barely touched your food."

"I'm not hungry."

"Maybe your not, but that baby is." He said a matter-of-factly.

Misty sighed miserable and stabbed a pancake angrily with her food. "Can we not talk about the baby for once?"

He gave her a look of surprise. "Sorry, honey, we kind of have to. It's there."

Now that she thought about it, she was kind of hungry, but Brock's arrogance was quickly her ill and she didn't think it was the pregnancy causing her nausea this time. Misty took another bite. "Don't call me, honey."

He leaned back and couldn't help but smile at her face of annoyance. "Misty, what do you want me to do? Run away and have nothing to do with our child? I'm not doing that. I am _not_ my father and I will be there for our baby and you, rather you want me there or not."

Misty chewed on her food thoughtfully before she spoke. "Brock, do you only want to be with me because I'm pregnant with your child? Is that why your so persistent in wanting an actual relationship with me?"

"No." He replied quickly. "No, Mist, that's not it. Me wanting to be with you has nothing to do with this baby."

"Then why start now? The moment you find out I'm pregnant you start wanting to take care of me and give me your undivided attention whereas before I never existed!" She argued, feeling confident that she had made her point, but Brock wasn't fazed by it.

"Because," he paused for a moment while he formulated his words carefully. "like I said before, I didn't see what was right in front of me all along until that night I was with you."

She dropped her fork against her plate with a loud sound as she started to cry. She didn't really know why she was crying, but she just couldn't control it. Before she knew it he was by her side, trying his best to comfort her.

"Brock, do you know how long I waited for you to pay attention to me? Do you know how badly I wanted you to stop flirting with all of those women and just for once pay attention to me?"

Brock kneeled beside her and rubbed his hand on her back. "How was I supposed to know you wanted that from me? I'm not a mind reader you know."

"How could you not have known?" She stared up at him as tears streamed down her face. "God, Brock, do you know how badly it hurt when you left us, when you left _me_, when you stayed on Valencia Island with Professor Ivy?"

"Ok, that was a mistake!" Brock exclaimed. "I told you I was young and stupid back then, OK? I came back, didn't I?" He wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumb.

"Yea, only because she dumped you! Otherwise, you would have probably stayed there forever!"

"No, I wouldn't have…" Brock said, sighing at her over dramatization of the situation, but of course, he knew pregnant women could be overly emotional at times. He could remember atleast six of his mother's pregnancies when he was a kid so he knew all about the mood swings. Of course with Misty, mood swings were of the norm.

"Then why did you come back?" Her blue eyes still sparkling with tears, her voice held a serious tone.

"I don't know, Misty. I was there and I realized I made a mistake and I needed to come back."

"A mistake? What mistake?"

"The mistake of leaving you." He said. "It was a stupid thing for me to do. I know it hurt you when I left, but I thought it was just a friendship thing. I didn't know you wanted anything more than that from me."

Wrapping her arms around his neck she began to cry harder and he stroked her hair comfortingly with his hand, consoling her lovingly. "Shh, don't upset yourself, Misty. That's not good on our baby…"

"I'm so sorry, Brock." She said, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "I'm sorry for treating you the way I have. Your just trying to be good to me."

"No, it's alright. Look, don't apologize." Brock wiped the salty water from her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "Your just scared and emotional, that's all, but I'm here for you. No matter what."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ash Ketchum sat among the pile of shredded wrapping paper and gifts that he had unwrapped. Misty had gotten a few things for herself, including maternity clothes and baby clothes from Mrs. Ketchum. Brock had long ago bought her a bottle of perfume from some city in Hoenn and Ash of course had forgotten about her.

After the excitement of Christmas was over, Brock helped in cleaning up the piles of wrapping paper and then helped Delia out in the kitchen while Misty was told to sit tight in the living room. She really hated not being able to do anything. Brock acted as though she was going to break if she did just the slightest little thing.

The food smelled delicious. A large Turkey was cooked to perfection and Brock was making the most delicious looking apple pie. Delia was more concerned with how her house looked before the guests arrived.

Misty wasn't sure just how many people were going to show up, but she knew the house definitely was going to be packed full.

The doorbell rang and Delia panicked, instructing Mr. Mime to answer the door while she made sure she got the dirty fingerprint marks Ash had left on her white walls. She turned to Misty with a smile. "One word of advice, dear, once you have kids, never paint your walls white."

The clown Pokemon greeted it's guests at the door.

Brock peered his head around the corner of the kitchen into the living room at the front door and his mouth hung open. "Mom? Dad?"

Lola and Flint Harrison walked in, Lola immediately going in to hug her oldest son. "Oh, look at you, your absolutely filthy!" She dusted the flour off his apron. "Don't you make a mess in there now, do you hear me, Brock?"

"Mom, I'm not making a mess…" He said, looking over at Misty feeling a bit embarrassed. She giggled a bit. It was funny to see Brock get treated like a child for once.

Brock looked up from his flour-covered apron to meet his father's gaze. "Hey dad…"

"Hello Brock. Shouldn't you be outside playing football in snow with Ash and Max instead of standing in here doing women's work?" Flint asked, folding his arms.

Lola rolled her eyes. "Oh, Flint, now don't you start. Brock, you keep cooking up those delicious meals. Your going to make some woman very lucky one day! Oh Delia, doesn't he look handsome in that little pink apron?"

Delia giggled. "Very."

"Mom…stop it, your embarrassing me…" He said agitatedly, his gaze once again falling on Misty. Lola followed her son's gaze and her eyes landed on the nervous looking redhead.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." Lola said with a giggle. "This must be your little girlfriend. I'm Lola Harrison, Brock's mother, and you are?"

"Uhm, nice to meet you, I'm Misty Waterflower, and I'm not Brock's girlfriend." She said with a deep blush.

"Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry." She said, it was now her turn to blush. "I just know my son and his excellent taste in women and I figured you looked like someone he'd go for."

Misty looked at her in disbelief. Did she really think that she looked like 'Brock's type' or was she just being nice? How would she react if she found out she was carrying her grandchild? She'd have to know at some point, wouldn't she?

That's when realization hit her full-on. She really couldn't keep this a secret much longer.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the doorbell rang once again and Mr. Mime ambled over to the door to answer. Professor Samuel Oak was at the door along with his grandson Gary. Then…Misty's blood ran cold in her veins.

Walking in afterwards, was Tracy Sketchit and his eyes sparked when he saw her. She turned around and sank into the soft couch she was sitting on. She suddenly felt sick again and flashbacks of that night outside the hotel came flooding back.

Delia was polite to Samuel and Gary, but completely avoided eye contact with Tracy. She was the only other person in the room that knew about what had almost happened between Misty and Tracy, besides Brock and herself.

Tracy took a seat on the couch, and took a cup of lemonade off the trey. Lola had gotten up to make conversation with the professor and Tracy had taken her seat. His eyes watched her over the rim of the cup and his lips curled into a smile that sent a shiver rocketing down her spine.

Neither one of them spoke, Tracy just stared at her and she didn't bother to look up. She hoped to god Brock would come in the room, perhaps he'd stop staring.

Her prayers were answered when Brock came around the corner, still covered head to toe in flour. "Dinner's ready!" He announced, making room for Ash and Max who had rushed in at the announcement, racing to get the first piece of Turkey.

Brock's face fell when he saw Tracy sitting on the couch, not bothering to get up and move towards the kitchen, he was just staring. Brock came and sat beside Misty, the entire living room had cleared out in a matter of minutes and it was just the three of them.

If it hadn't been Delia's house or Christmas Day, he would have already decked Tracy in the mouth for what he did to Misty, but he was taught to be respectful. He cleared his throat and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Why don't you get something to eat, Tracy." Brock suggested, his normally friendly tone was deeper and more foreboding.

"Oh, I'm not hungry." He said, something flashed in his eyes when he stared at Misty and Brock clenched his teeth together and balled his fists.

"Misty," Brock said, standing up and practically pulling her up with him. "you need to eat something. Come with me."

Misty followed Brock into the kitchen, daring herself to look Tracy in the eyes and when she did she felt something that made her want to cry. After she had gotten a rather large plate of food, Brock led her back into the living room, never taking his eyes off the dark-haired artist.

The two men exchanged a look of challenge and he led her to a far corner of the room where she didn't have to be around Tracy.

Ash walked in, his plate piled high with Turkey, mashed potatoes, cinnamon apples and pie. "Brock, this food is awesome!"

"Glad you like it." He said, never moving from his position next to Misty.

She looked up at him with concern, realizing at the moment just how hungry she really was. "Are you hungry, Brock?"

He leaned back, keeping a close eye on Tracy. "I can eat later."

Ash had quickly finished off his turkey and apples and walked over curiously to Brock and Misty. "Whoa, Misty, you sure did get a lot of food."

Brock sighed and rubbed his hands over his face in annoyance. "Ash, don't you have to go be annoying somewhere else?"

He made a thoughtful noise before shaking his head in denial. "Nope."

"Ash, can you go away please?" Misty asked, feeling rather annoyed. She wasn't feeling well and she wasn't exactly in the mood to be tolerating Ash's presence. Any other time would have been fine, but not while she was pregnant and in the same room with Tracy Sketchit.

Ash swallowed a bite of his pie and scowled at her. "Oh, just because your pregnant doesn't mean you have the right to bite my head off!" He yelled, then quickly slapped a hand over his mouth as the whole room fell silent.

"Pregnant?" Flint asked, taking a bite of Brock's apple pie and not wanting to admit he actually liked it.

"Ash…" Brock groaned in sheer fury and annoyance. "why can't you ever keep that big mouth of yours shut?"

Misty looked back at Brock as if asking for help, but before Brock could say anything, Tracy stood up, a look of delight in his eyes. "Pregnant, hm?"

Her throat felt dry as he approached her. Brock stood up standing protectively in front of her. Tracy gave him another look of challenge.

"Well, Misty…" Tracy's voice sounded smooth and confident, loud and noticeable in the suddenly quiet room. "you should have really told me you were having my child sooner."

Ash sputtered his soda and stared across the room at them in disbelief. "That's Tracy's kid?"

He placed his hands on his hips as his eyes scanned over her. "I can't believe such a beautiful woman's having my child." The cocky grin quickly slipped when he was tackled to the floor by someone much stronger then he was.

Brock wrestled him to the ground, pinning both his arms to the floor. "You lying son of a bitch!"

Lola stood up and rushed over, but Flint held her back. "Stay back here! You don't want to get in the middle of that." He demanded.

"Get the hell of me!" Tracy flailed his legs but was unable to move any other part of his body. He felt a large hand wrap around his throat and a gagging sensation overtook him as he gasped for air.

"Brock, stop it!" Misty screeched when she saw that he was choking Tracy and effectively cutting off his air supply.

Brock felt himself being lifted off him, but he put up a fight until he regained his senses. Flint had pulled him off and Tracy slowly sat up, rubbing his throat painfully.

"Brock!" Flint scolded him. "What the hell's wrong with you? Why did you lose your temper like that?"

He wrestled himself away from his father. "Because he's lying! That fucking bastard is lying!"

Delia looked up at Brock as she comforted Misty. Their brawl seemed to have upset her more than he had realized it would.

"How do you know if he's lying or not?" Flint asked him curiously.

"Because the baby is mine!" Brock exclaimed. "This asshole never even slept with Misty. He tried to rape her that night at Ash's banquet!"

Professor Oak looked at Tracy with disbelief. "You did what?" The truth about what Tracy did seemed to soften the blow of of the confession that the baby was his.

Tracy's face coloured intensely before he turned his gaze towards Brock. "You son of a bitch!"

Misty pulled herself from Delia and stood in front of Brock. "Stop it! Stop fighting, please!" Tears welled in her eyes and she was practically blinded by them.

Mrs. Ketchum walked over and confronted Tracy. "Tracy, I think it's best you leave my house, right now." She said, trying to keep her voice steady and her anger under control.

"Gladly!" He scoffed, looking back at Brock with disdain. The front door slammed with his exit and Ash, May and Max were still looking dumbfounded.

Misty fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands and sobbing.

Lola was the first to speak, her eyes stayed steady on her oldest son as he consoled the redhead. "Brock, is it true? Is it really your child?"

He sighed and combed his fingers through Misty's hair. "Yes, it is…"

Suddenly, realization hit Ash. "You mean…you and Misty….oh my god!"

"Ash!" Delia scolded him. "Don't make such a big deal out of it! I'm sure this is awkward enough for them!"

"No, Mrs. Ketchum, it's alright." Misty said, standing back to her feet and wiping away the tears. "The truth needed to come out sometime."

May sat cross-legged on the floor. "Wow, imagine Brock being a daddy."

"I feel sorry for the kid…" Ash said quietly. "Misty's going to be it's mother!"

"I heard that, Ash Ketchum!" She crossed her arms and looked at him, infuriated at his remark.

********************************************************************************

She was unaware of time, but the room was dark when she felt him slip into bed beside her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, his palm flat against her stomach and his warm, naked chest was pressed against her back.

"Brock?" She asked, curiously, opening her eyes to see him in the scarce light from the moon that filtered in through the small window above the bed.

"You feeling alright?" Brock asked smoothly, his voice a tired, hoarse whisper.

Misty settled into his warmth and made a sound of contentment. "Better now that you're here."

"Hey, you know what?" He asked, receieving a soft moan of question from her. "I got approved for an apartment in Cerulean City. I know it's not much but it's something to start out in."

Her eyes flew open. "Brock? You're...you're moving to Cerulean City?"

"Well of course..." He said obviously. "How else am I going to take care of my baby...and perhaps my future wife."

"Your just full of surprises aren't you, Brock?" She asked, knowing that she was blushing but he couldn't have known in the dark.

He grinned and pulled the lock of hair off her neck, slowly pressing his lips to her skin and making her skin tighten with anticipation. "Misty…"

"Yes, Brock?" She asked, turning over on her back so that she could stare up at him as he hovered above her, propped up on one elbow.

"I don't think I told you before, so I want to tell you now." He placed a small kiss on her lips and held one hand in his. "I love you."

She felt her heart skip a beat and start pounding her chest. She had waited so long to hear those words from him, ever since the day she first laid eyes on him at the Pewter City Gym when Ash arrived to battle for his first badge.

Misty smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, too." She said, pulling him down for another kiss, finally content and finally happy.


End file.
